Charles Rollo Peters was born in San Francisco, CA on April 10, 1862 into a wealthy pioneer family. Peters studied locally at the School of Design under Virgil Williams and Chris Jorgensen and privately with Jules Tavernier. In 1886 he went to Paris where he was a student of Gérome and Cormon at Ecole des Beaux Arts and of Boulanger and Lefebvre at Académie Julian. While in Paris he exhibited at the Paris Salon and was greatly influenced by Alexander Harrison and James McNeil Whistler (who once remarked that Charles Rollo Peters was the only artist other than himself who could paint nocturnes).

Charles Rollo Peters returned to his home in 1890, married the following year, and again spent four years studying in Europe. Upon his return to California, he settled in Monterey where he built a 30-acre estate called "Peters Gate." His home was a haven for other artists and he entertained lavishly until the money ran out. Following tragic losses of both his wife and small daughter, Peters remarried in 1909. The Monterey house was sold and the family went to Europe for two years. The remainder of Peters' life was spent in San Francisco with sporadic trips to Europe. Charles Rollo Peters died in his native city on March 1, 1928. Eugen Neuhaus wrote, "He loved to paint the crumbling façades and tiled roofs of some moonlit Spanish adobe, and in developing the inherent textural and color qualitites, he achieved a very unique and personal style. His color schemes are the rich analogues of the blue and purple of night with the complementary nuances of a small bit of orange light peeping through a half-shut window.

Source:Edan Hughes, "Artists in California 1786-1940"

California Art Company is Actively Seeking to Acquire Paintings by Charles Rollo Peters

California Art Company, LLC is actively seeking to acquire fine art paintings by Charles Rollo Peters. If you have a painting by Charles Rollo Peters that you would like to sell please email photos and your asking price to greg@californiaartcompany.com or give us a call at (818) 398-7363.